Felis chaus Schreber 1777

33. Jungle Cat Felis chaus French: Chat des marais / German: Rohrkatze / Spanish: Gato marismeno Other common names: Swamp Cat, Reed Cat Taxonomy. Felis chaus Schreber, 1777, Russia, Terek River, north of Caucasus. Six subspecies recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. F. c. chaus Schreber, 1777 — SE Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Irak, Syria, Iran, and N to the Caucasus Mountains, adjoining Russia, and E through region of Caspian and Aral Seas to W China. F. c. affinus Gray, 1830 — Sub-Himalayan region. F. c. fulvidina Thomas, 1929 — Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, also Myanmar and Thailand. F. c. kelaarti Pocock, 1939 — S India & Sri Lanka. F. c. kutas Pearson, 1832 — N India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. F. c. nilotica de Winton, 1898 — Egypt. Descriptive notes. Head-body 61-85 cm, tail 20-31 cm. Adult males heavier (5.7-12 kg) than adult females (2.6-9 kg). Coat plain and unspotted, varying in color from reddish to sandy brown to tawny gray. Black tips on guard hairs impart a slightly speckled appearance. Tail tip is black. Face is long and slim, muzzle white; white lines above and below eyes. Ears long, rounded, set close together, and tipped with tuft of black hairs. Backs of ears are reddish brown. Melanistic individuals reported from Pakistan and India. Northern subspecies larger and heavier than those from southern Asia. Habitat. Prefers tall grass, thick bush, riverine swamps, and reed beds. Few records from dense jungle. Sometimes found in association with man-made fish ponds, reservoirs, and sprinkler-irrigated landscapes. Also survives in drier, open forests, and even sandhill desert and steppe habitats. Adaptable species. Rarely found above 1000 m elevation. Food and Feeding. Mammals are the principal prey. Smaller species include voles, gerbils, jirds (Gerbilinae), muskrats, jerboas, and ground squirrels. Other mammals include hares, Coypu (Myocastoridae), and the occasional Chital fawn. Birds rank second in importance, with ducks, coots, pheasants, partridges, peafowl, and jungle fowl, sparrows, and domestic poultry being prominent in the diet. Other prey include frogs, lizards (Agamidae, Lacertidae), snakes (Colubridae, Viperidae), and turtles. Minor elements include insects, fish, and turtle eggs. Stalk-and-ambush hunters, capture most prey on ground, but can climb and leap well. Activity patterns. Nocturnal, but also regularly seen hunting at dawn and dusk. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Little information available, but snow tracking in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan estimated movements of 3-6 km per night. Breeding. Mating and births vary by latitude and seasonal temperature. Most young born December-June after gestation of 63-66 days. Den sites in burrows, hollow trees, reed beds, and dense thorn bushes. Litter size usually three. Young independent by nine months of age. Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. The most common felid in many parts of its geographic range. Species thrives in agricultural landscapes. Have been heavily exploited for their pelts in some parts of their range. Bibliography. Acharjyo & Mohapatra (1977), Duckworth et al. (2005), Eaton (1984), Guggisberg (1975), Hemmer (1979), Heptner & Sludskii (1992a), Johnsingh (1983), Mellen (1993), Mukherjee (1989), Mukherjee et al. (2004), Niethammer (1966), Nowell & Jackson (1996), Roberts (1977), Schauenberg (1979b), Sunquist & Sunquist (2002).Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Felidae, pp. 54-168 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 165, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.637689